All You Need to Know About “How to” Tips

NO paint required !!!If you are a beginner like me , painting a car can be hard so , try polish the polystirene first with a light compound like Meguiars grain :2 and make some application of normal cars wax it’s not as shiney as a good clear job but it’s fast clean and sure . Enjoy the results !!! (Submitted by Nicolas Bourget)

Shine your PaintHow to make your paint jobs look slick and great!! Ok..before spraying your color on, rub it down with a little alcohol, (it get’s dust and debree out), then let the alcohol evaporate. Then spray about 2-3 coats of the color on. Let it dry for about 24 hours. Then take 1200 grit sand paper and sand the whole model down until the paint is flat..*make sure not to press to hard*. After that, get some Testors gloss laquer clear coat from your local hobbystore. After u spray the clear over the dull paint, let the clear dry for about 24 hours also. Then, once the clear is dry, sand it again with 1200 grit sandpaper, litely though. After the clear coat looks dull, (once sanded), then take some buffing compound and buff the whole mdel. I use Crystal shine..it works VERY well! (Submitted by Shawn Nelson)

Making a HeadlinerDo you have a problem trying to find a thing that looks like headliner? Well i have an idea! Use black or white hockey tape. Happy Modeling! (Submitted by Dax Zoork & Brent Gudelot)

*GREAT PAINT*To achieve a great finish on your model in a fraction of the time it would take you normally, just check this tip out! I recently bought a food dehydrator…and no i dont use it for food, I use if to dry my models. I’ve discovered if you put your model in a food dehydrator right after laying down a coat of paint, it helps lay the paint smooth and it dryes it fast. When painting with enamel, it only takes about 7-10 hours to totally cure and with laquer it only takes abut 1 hour. (Submitted by Tyson M. Colby)

HOW TO ACHIEVE A SMOOTH HARD FINISH USING ENAMEL PAINTSI’ve found that if you thin your enamel paints with laquer thinner, instead of mineral spirits, you can achieve a smoother finish. It also cuts drying time by days. IMPORTANT-If you decide to try this technique you must spray a laquer based primer such as: Dupli Color (usually any automotive sandable primer works). If you do not prep your model with the laquer based primer the laquer thinner in the paint will melt your model. Remember to always test any new paint on some scrap…..Believe me, I learned the hard way. (Submitted by Tyson M. Colby)

Yet another chrome removerI have been using Parsons Sudsy Ammonia for years. Put some in a film can or other plastic container. Drop in your parts. Cover. Shake a couple of times. Chrome will be gone in about 10 minutes. MUCH less messy than Easy Off. This does not remove the clear coat which is always applied to the part before the vacuum plating. If you want to remove the clear coat, and article in SAE said nail polish remover would remove both chrome and the clear coat. (Submitted by Mark Benton)

Roll BarsTurn a plan jane street car into a 1/4 mile racer. At the track around here if you run the 1/4 in 11.99 seconds or faster, you need a roll bar. That tree your parts came on will work just fine. Remember, measure twice cut once. Heat were you need to bend with a candle or lighter and bend to form. Let harden, wash, sand and paint. WA La, roll bars. (Submitted by Lawrence Merritt)

Exhaust TipLarge tipped exhaust. Take a piece of the mold tree and cut your desired length. Cut your tail pipe an equal amount. Glue the two together, and carefully sand the “tip” on the exhaust pipe side until it is rounded. Take the trusty X-acto and cut the 45 degree angle you’d normally see on exhaust tips. (Submitted by Jerry Christopher)

License PlatesTo make license plates,find a photo on your computer by way of a search engine. Copy it to your paint program,scale it down to the size of your model,and print it out on regular paper.You can find just about any state or specialty plate on the computer. All that’s left is to glue it to your model. (Submitted by Ray)

Cutting Out DoorsCutting Off Doors!!First get some sewing thread and move it back and forth on the line of the door.Do it in a sawing motion.It may take a few minutes but its well worth it.You cant see the cut lines after you are finished.This will make your model look very proffesional! (Submitted by Blake)

Yet ANOTHER Paint Stand!!!I used a 2×4 cut to about a foot long, and a coat hanger. Cut four lengths of the coat hanger (may need 2 of ’em to complete the project) to about 6 or 8 inches. Bend the hanger wire to a 90º angle about 1½” from the end.Draw a rectangle in the center of the 2×4 that measures 4″ x 2″. Drill 4 1/8″ holes in the 2×4 at the corners of the rectangle and put 1½” to 2″ of the wire through the holes and bend & staple it to the wood.There ya go! The wire gets to about twice its diameter after a couple years worth of paint buildup.(Submitted by Damon Atherton)

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Welcome to CARS web site. CARS is a model car club in the Chattanooga, Tennessee area that was developed to promote the craft of building and detailing model cars and trucks regardless of skill level, age or experience. Here at the CARS site you will learn specifics about our club and view our clubs cars and trucks in our gallery section. You have an opportunity to join CARS also, regardless of where in the world you live and have your show quality cars placed in the CARS gallery, so check it out. In designing this site, measures were taken to offer a visually pleasing site, one that is easy to navigate while providing fast loading times. This site is image intensive. The full size images were scanned at a 72 dpi resolution and reduced pre load images precede the final higher resolution images to provide you with faster load times. The full size images will take no more than 2 seconds to load with a 28,800 modem. We think you will enjoy the show.